Greetings, Advocates,

Happy Spring, yes, it's officially a meteorological spring in the United States. 

This week, I worked with the local juvenile justice department in Albany, OR. I got to co-present with my father, Dr. Lewis Eakins. It was the first time we'd done that, and it was fun. We worked with the staff on addressing bias when serving youth and their families.

Against that backdrop, I thought about a couple of things. 

I thought about the prison population where Black and Brown people are incarcerated at rates that don't represent their general population share.

I thought about the school-to-prison pipeline and how some of our BIPOC students receive harsher punishments and suspensions at a greater rate than White students for the same behavior.

I also wondered how this helps young people. I have heard of some excellent programs with universities that help incarcerated people receive college degrees. I have also heard of thoughtful, supportive programs...

Hello Advocates,

Monday marks the end of February - and for a short month, February has packed a punch this year.

As we close out Black History Month, I was struck by how colorism and racism can show up. In recent days, an image of a South Sudanese model was posted. In response to the photo, a distinguished professor of psychiatry, department chair, responded,

“Whether a work of art or freak of nature, she’s a beautiful sight to behold,” 

Dr. Jeffrey A. Lieberman, the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry Chair, tweeted. Dr. Lieberman is also psychiatrist-in-chief at Columbia University Hospital Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He has been suspended from both roles. He also resigned as Executive Director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Can we unpack this a little?

Upon seeing an image of a dark-skinned woman, Dr. Lieberman’s first instinct was to refer to the woman as a “work of art” or a...

As cases of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) spread throughout the world, and into our communities, how are you and your students doing? How are you feeling?

As this virus spreads, it seems to affect mostly older people and those who have compromised immune systems. But even young students have older grandparents or know community members who may have compromised immune systems.  

Access to health and doctors is one area where our resources can be inequitable. Not every person in the U.S. has access to excellent health care.  

School district leadership teams and school administrators will have official messages to share.  

Depending on the age of the students with whom you work with, you may want to think of how to convey a couple of ideas in an age-appropriate way to your students because they know you and would trust your message.

• The Novel Coronavirus is a virus; other types of infections include the flu virus. COVID-19 is different because it's...